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The Florida Legislature is working to address the dangers of flagrant speeding by raising speed limits.

Oddly, no one will say exactly why.

Assuming a 20-mile commute traveling at the maximum posted speed limit, going 75 instead of 70 will get you to your destination about one minute sooner.

Hardly a reasonable trade-off for an increase in documented speed-related deaths and injuries.

Have our legislators forgotten that Florida already has a reputation for death and destruction on our roads?

Can we afford to go back in time on a topic as basic as speed limits?

In 2012 — the latest year for which complete statistics are available — 2,430 people died with the 70 mph limit in place.

Is that so acceptable that we have room for more fatalities?

That’s a gruesome average of 46 funerals a week just from traffic deaths in our state.

Let’s ask the thousands of grieving family members if raising the speed limit is what we need to do.

But the legislation speeding through committees doesn’t stop there.

It also increases maximum limits on non-interstate highways in our rural areas where traffic related deaths, injuries and crashes represent a significant percentage of the statewide total.

Even the Federal Highway Administration noted dryly that “fatal injuries” increased when speed limits went up from 60 to 65 and from 70 to 75.

And let’s not forget that in most circumstances Florida already gives motorists a 5 mph “warning cushion” and that congestion, weather and other factors often render the current maximum limits “too fast for conditions” and thus unsafe.

When these bills get to the House and Senate floors — and there appear to be no roadblocks to that happening soon — our legislators should not take lightly the consequences of their votes.

And should they decide that faster is better — the adverse traffic safety impact notwithstanding — Gov. Rick Scott should use his veto pen to stop this bad idea.

Kevin Bakewell would do well to study the research done on speed limits. His letter totally misses the mark and appears to be based on a gut reaction that driving slower is better. There's an excellent paper on the subject at http://www.ibiblio.org/rdu/sl-irrel.html.

If you crash, the higher the speed, the higher the likelihood that the damage will be more severe. But higher speeds do not increase the likelihood of crashes. Driving at a much higher or lower speed (plus/minus 20mph) than the traffic pattern is what increases the potential for crashes. Unsafe driving practices such as tailgating, sudden lane changes, failure to signal, etc. do as well. There's also a reason for those "Slower Traffic Keep Right" signs - if you are holding the left lane, at or above the posted limit, you are forcing drivers who wish to go faster to unsafely pass you in the right lane.

I drive I10 regularly. If I set the cruise control between 75 and 80, I pass few people and only a handful pass me. If I were driving 45-50, I would increase my likelihood of being rear ended. Above 85 I would likely rear end someone or lose control.

Arbitrarily setting the speed limit will not reduce or increase speeds. Most people drive at a speed they feel safe regardless of the posted limit. I doubt the legislators are depending on relevant studies, so who knows what the effect of raising the limit will be.

Well the premise is quite true but then one has to ask, "Why not decrease the speed limit to 40?"
Traffic fatalities would absolutely plummet and in a 20 mile commute, it would only take 30 minutes compared to 17.

The proper speed limit is a matter of opinion. Safe drivers are safe and unsafe drivers are not. The Arlington accident today was caused by a driver going 100 in a 40 zone.
Some drivers are unsafe at any speed as our local San Jose killer with two notches on his fender quite readily proves.

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4427 points

Ron_Jax80

Friday, April 4, 2014 @ 9:40 pm

I like and agree with this letter. Please leave the speed limits alone.